Final thoughts

Despite the fact up to 28 players will be involved in tonight’s final it seems Europe’s media have already decided which way the trophy goes will be decided by one of two players.

With just a few hours to kick-off, all the talk is about Cesc Fabregas and Michael Ballack.

The young Arsenal midfielder is being widely tipped as Spain’s trump card. So far in the tournament he has been used as a "super sub", coming on from the bench to turn the game quite splendidly on several occasions.

But the sheer quality of his performances combined with the injury to David Villa means he is almost certain to start the game as part of a five-man Spanish midfield. And that line-up could well be the deciding factor.

In the other camp the focus is on captain Michael Ballack who is facing a race against time to recover from a calf strain. If he loses his fight to play it would be a massive blow to Germany and to Ballack who missed out on World Cup final in 2002 through suspension and who, at 31, is nearing the end of his international career.

Often when the media, pundits and experts put so much attention on individual players in the build up to a game, it backfires and they end up being insignificant – it’s almost like the intense spotlight they are under blinds them into submission.

There have been two perfect examples of that happening already: Christiano Ronaldo entirely failed to inspire Poprtugal when they needed him most in their quarter-final and Andrie Arshavin vanished into obscurity during Russia’s semi-final with Spain.

Yet, somehow, I think the media have got it spot on with their belief that Ballack and Fabregas are key to tonight’s final.

Ballack is Germany’s driving force, the heart of their midfield. Sure they have replacements but none of them come close to having the talent, energy and determination of their inspirational captain.

Spain, on the other hand, have looked twice the team whenever the 21-year-old Fabregas has been on the pitch. He seems to be the missing link that has finally made Spain the sum of their impressive parts.

Whether or not these two players prove instrumental in tonight’s game, I just hope we are in for a cracker. From the word go, the tournament has been a rollercoaster of a ride with many ups, a few downs and surprises round every corner.

It would be a criminal offence if tonight’s conclusion was anything other than a fantastic game of football.

And my prediction? A 2-1 win for the Spanish with Fabregas scoring one and setting up the other. And maybe Ballack coming off the bench to grab the consolation…